Imagine the Africa of the great safari era, when blazing sunsets melted into lantern lit romance and service was an effortless whisper. This is the Africa you will experience at Sabi Sabi’s Selati Camp, an award winning luxury game lodge in South Africa.
During the 1870’s, high in the crevices of the Drakensberg escarpment which rises to the west of Sabi Sabi, gold was discovered. To transport the gold, the parliament of the Old Transvaal Republic commissioned a railway line from the interior to Delagoa Bay in Mozambique. A branch railway known as the Selati Line crossed the Sabi Sand Reserve.
Today the line is disused but the old railbed can still be seen in the north-eastern section of Sabi Sabi, close to Selati Camp. Sabi Sabi’s intimate all-suite Selati Camp is an unforgettable African experiences. It offers the perfect accommodation for travellers looking for a romantic luxury safari lodge in South Africa. Selati is furnished with a historic railway theme and is meticulously created as an authentic home in the bush. The railway theme extends from the original steam engine name plates, signals and shunter’s lamps lighting the way to your suite, to interesting memorabilia and other collector’s pieces in each suite.
Nights at Selati are quiet, intimate and possessed of a rare magic. Under the spectacular canopy of the Southern night sky the camp is still romantically lit by the gentle flicker of oil lamps and lanterns, and the warm glow of fires.
With its classic vintage styling, this exclusive lodge comprises seven opulent thatched suites, each with full bathroom en-suite and private alfresco shower nestled under majestic indigenous trees. World-class cuisine is served on wooden thatched decks built alongside the Msuthlu riverbed, in the open air “boma” or in the “farmhouse kitchen”.
Since 1979 Sabi Sabi has hosted visitors from all over the world, drawn to this unique area by the promise of the safari experience of a lifetime. Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve, situated in the world-renowned 65000 hectare Sabi Sand Wildtuin (Sabi Sand Reserve) in the South-Western section of the Kruger National Park, is a wildlife oasis, where you can observe at close quarters the age-old natural relationship between predator and prey.
Big game abounds and roams freely throughout this pristine part of the ancient African continent. The diverse habitat is home to spectacular wildlife including the Big 5 – lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo and elephant – as well as cheetah, wild dog and some 200 other animal species indigenous to the area.
There is nothing quite as stirring as the sight of a lion, elephant or rhino roaming free in the bush; as haunting as the sound of a hyaena laughing in the dead of night; as electrifying as the tension one feels when following spoor along a dry riverbed. This is what makes the Sabi Sabi experience so memorable. in open safari vehicles, led by highly trained Game Rangers and qualified Trackers, follow the animals on and off-road, deep into the heart of the wild African Selativeld. Walking safaris allow guests to feel the pulse of untamed Africa through the soles of their feet.
Sabi Sabi is also home to a remarkable 350 species of birds. On a single summer’s day, a visitor from the Northern Hemisphere will probably see more bird species than he is likely to see in a lifetime in his home country. In fact, almost 5% of the world’s bird species have been recorded in this region of South Africa.
